Vehicle gear-iron



(No Model.)

R. MULHOLLAND.

VEHICLE GEAR IRON.

Patented Jan. 8, 1888. Flg 2 Witnesses @wg uw,

N. Pneu Phumumogmpher. wmingm n.0.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RICHARD MLHOLLAND, OF DUNKIRK, NEW YORK.

VEHICLE GEAR-IRON.-

SPECIFICATION forming part; of Letters Patent No. 375.765, dated .anuary 3, 1.8L 8.

Application filed July 25, 1887. Serial Noi-15,177.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RICHARD MULHOLLAND, a citizen ofthe United States, residing in Dunkirk, in the county of Chautauqua and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vehicle Gear-Irons, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to fifth-wheel gearirons and tothe means for connecting the front and rear end gear of vehicles, all of which will be fully and clearly hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a front elevation. Fig. 2 is a side elevation ofthe rear coupling, a portion being broken away at the rear to show the bolt for connecting the parts together. Fig. 3 is a plan or top View showing the front and rear irons. Fig. 4 is a transverse section through lines a b, Fig. 1 or Fig. 3, omitting all the parts beyond it.l Fig. 5 is a vertical longitudinal central section through line c d, Fig. 3, cutting through all the parts except the bolts and front head-block brace. Fig. 6 is a detached top View ofthe upper fifth-wheel, head-block plate, and reach-iron, all formed in one piece, and Fig. 7 is a side elevation ofthe same. Fig. 8 is atop view of one side of the lower iifthwheel, and Fig. 9 is a side elevation of Fig. 8.

Fig. 10 is a top view of the king-bolt clipiron. Fig. 11 is a frontelevation; Fig. 12, a

side elevation of the same, and Fig. 13 is a bottom View of the king-bolt yoke.

Heretofore vehicle fifth-wheels have been made by dropping or forgingV the lower seetions in one piece, consisting of the bottom fifth-wheel and axle-clip, the lower ends of which are made in a bolt-shape form, with screw threads and nuts for securing it by means of clip-ties to the axle and bed-piece. The king-bolt has also been made in a similar manner in one piece, the upper part being of a bolt shape with screw-thread and nut to connect it to the head-block or other support, the middle part being dat land clip-shaped, and the lower ends bolt-shaped with screw-threads and nuts which connect it by a clip-tie to the axle. The objection to this method of construction is mainly its high cost for the ordinary grade of work.

The object of my invention is to dispense with this expensive construction and to produce instead a fifth-wheel which shall have the (No model.)

finish and strength ofthe old construction,and at the same time be cheap and durable, and to otherwise improve gear-irons, as hereinafter set forth.

In said drawings, 1 is the front axle-bed or bed-piece, usually of wood. 2 is the axle,both being of well-known construction.

3 represents what may be termed a compound king-bolt and clip,77 which is preferably made of malleable cast-iron, and is formed on the inner side to fit the shape of the bedpiece. The vertical tubular clip parts 4 extend down to or near the bottom of the axle.v On each side ofthe clip portion4is abolthole or perforation, 5, (see Fig. 10,) to receive the bolts 6. (Shown in Fig. 5.) These bolts 6 pass through the metal as close to the inner sides as practicable, so that the bolts will be as close to the axle as possible.

In the center of the cornpoundking-boltand clip is a bolt-hole, 7, passing vertically down 10.) The king-bolt yoke 9 is made with tie cure it, and also the compound king-bolt, to

the axle. It also has a neck part, 11, (shown in Figs. 5 and 13,) having a central countersunk bolt-hole, 12, adapted to receive the bolt 13, which is provided with a square countersunk head, the at top of which rests against the bottom of the axle. The yoke-brace 14 is perforated at the front to receive thelower end of the front head-block brace, 15, to which it is secured by a nut, 16. The reduced portion 17 of the neck part 11 of the king-bolt yoke9 passes through the brace 14, and is secured by bolt 13 and a nut, 18. The king bolt yokebrace 14 also extends back far enough to form (or be attached to) the bottom reach-iron, 1,9, and is perforated to receive the bolts 20, by which it is secured tothe reach by nuts 21. The top of the front head-block brace, 15, is in the form ofa T, and is secured to the headblock 34 by bolts 22. The top fifth-wheel consists of the parts 23, the head-block plate 24, the lips 26, for preventing any lateral Inovement on the head-block, and the clip-tie parts 35, and one or more reach-irons, 25, allformed in one piece. The extension 25 is rigidly sccured to the reach by the bolts 20, passing iron strengthening bar 27, and the bottom reach iron, 19, thereby securing the whole firmly together.

The compound kingbolt and clip-iron is provided with a tubular neck or socket portion, 30, (sec'Figs. 5, 11, 12,) which, when in its proper position, passes up through thehole 31 in the head-block plate and into the headblock, Where it is securedby the countersunk head-bolt 8, which passes up and through the tubular neck 30. (See Figs. 1, 5.) The bolt 8 also passes up through the spring 32, and the nut 33 secures the whole together. The spring is rigidly secu red in place by the clips 36, which pass down into the holes 37 (see Fig. 6) in the clip-tie parts 35, and are secured by nuts 39. (Shown in Fig. 1.)

The lower lifth-wheel sections, 40, are provided with clip portions 41, having boltholes 42, (shown in Fig. 8,) adapted to receive the countersunk bolt'heads 43. (See Figs. 4, 8, 9.) The boltholes 42 are made as near to the inner sides o f the clip portions 41 as practicable, so as to bring the bolts 43 as near the axle and axle-bed as possible. It is rigidly se cured to the axle and bed by clip-ties, the bolts 43, and nuts 44. (See Figs. 1, 4.) The lower ftlrwheel sections are also provided with horizontally-projectiug lips 45 to give them a broad bearing on the axle-bed.

The rear coupling-irons consist ofthe upper reach coupling-iron, 46, provided with lips 57, to prevent any lateral movement ofthe reach, the portion 46 having the clip ties 47 and the vertically-projecting rear portionn 48, having the socketed bolt-hole 49, (shown in Fig. 3,) to receive the countersunk square-headed bolt 50, the whole being made in one piece. It is provided with bolt-holes to receive the bolts 51, by which it is attached to the rear part of the reach. 52 represents thelower reach-iron. The bolts 51 pass through it,and the whole are secured rigidly together by nuts 53 54 and firmly attached to the rear axle in the usual wellknown manner by saddleclips passing through and being secured to the clip-ties 47. (Sec Figs. 2, 3.) By this construction the coupling-iron 46 may be of malleable castiron, and when secured to the back end ofthe reach and to the Wrought reach iron 52 by bolts 50 and 51 materially increases the strength and durability of the several parts and renders them less expensive to make.

In the drawings but a single reach is show n; but it will be seen that double reaches may be used instead without materially changing the construction by forming the head-block plate 24 with two reach-extensions similar to 25 at equal distances each side of the center in a manner well understood. By this construction the top and bottom fifth-Wheels, the compound king-bolt clip-iron, the king-bolt yoke, and its several parts may be of malleable eastiron, and when strengthened by wrought-iron and bolts in the manner described the whole is strong, durable, and cheaply made.

I claim as my invention- 1. In vehicle gear-irons, a compound kingbolt and clip-iron having the clips extend down to or near the bottom of the axle, and having bolt-holes the inner sides of which pass as close to the axle as possible, or nearly through the metal, a neck part, and a bolthole up through the center of same, in combination with bolts passing down through the clip portions ou each side of the axle into a king-bolt yoke, and a means for securing them, a king-bolt yokebrace, a means for se curing the king-bolt yoke thereto, and a bolt passing up through the center of the kingbolt clip iron for securing it to the upper fifthwheel and headblock, substantially as described.

2. In vehicle gear-irons, the upper geariron consisting of thehead-block plate having the two upper litth-whcel sections and reachiron all formed in one piece and secured to the under side of the head-block, in combination with the lower fifth-wheel sections, their combined clip portions having supporting-lips 45 1 on both sides and extending down each side ofthe axle to or near the bottom of the same, and having bolt-holes the sides ofwhieh nearest the axle pass through or nearly through the metal, bolts passing down through said openings, clip-ties, and a means for securing the whole to the axle and reach, substantially as and for the purposes described.

3. The compound king-bolt and clip-iron having the vertical tubular clip portions and the tubular neck portion, in combination with the bolts 6 8 13, and the king-bolt yoke, for the purpose of holding the several parts t0- gether, substantially as described.

4. In vehicle gear-irons, the top fifth-wheel sections having the head-block plate, the lips 26, clip-ties, king-bolt socket or hole 31, and reach-iron extension 25, all in one piece of metal, in combination with the head-block, the lower iifthwheel sections, the axle, the king-bolt yoke, the king-bolt yoke-brace, and bolts for securing them together, substantially as described.

5. The upper fifth-wheel and head-block plate having the reach-extension iron or irons 25, in combination with the reach, and the lower king-bolt yoke-brace and reach-extension, a wrought-iron support, 27, extendingk along the bottom of the reach and secured to the bottom of the head-block plate by a bolt or other suitable means for connecting the whole together, substantially as described.

6. In vehicle gear-irons',the rear reach coup ling-iron having the lips 57, the rear portion provided with clip-ties and bolt-holes, andthe lower projecting portion, 48, through which passes the eountersunk bolt 50, in combinal tion with the reach, reach-iron, and axle, and

bolts for securing the whole together, substantially as described.

RICHARD MULHOLLAND. Vitnesses:

GEo. P. IsHAM, PETER J. MULHOLLAND.

IIO

IIS

IZO 

